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The Latest In Tech News InformationSat, 15 Dec 2018 06:52:52 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=5.0.1125253101Samsung Galaxy Note9 Unveilinghttp://calixtechnews.com/2018/08/samsung-galaxy-note9-unveiling/
http://calixtechnews.com/2018/08/samsung-galaxy-note9-unveiling/#respondSat, 11 Aug 2018 02:14:27 +0000http://calixtechnews.com/?p=2227On August 9th, Samsung announced the highly anticipated, new Galaxy Note9! As the most recent extension of the note series, the Note9 packs a number of unprecedented features to capture old and new fans alike! Samsung has upgraded the beautiful, sleek curvature design with additional accoutrements to add to the arsenal – the new S-Pen and smart camera. The Note9 will be available in two new colors: Ocean Blue and Lavender Purple and began pre-order on August 10th, with a full release on August 24th. Now let’s dive into a few of the new features…

| S Pen |

The new and improved S Pen is a huge attraction point of this swanky new device! Using BLE (Bluetooth Low-Energy) technology, the S Pen now gives you the ability to take selfies / pictures, pause and play music, and so much more with just the click of the button. The pen takes only about 60 seconds to charge when sitting in the phone and is nestled neatly in it’s hideaway stow inside the phone.

Fun fact: the Ocean Blue phone has a yellow S Pen that writes in a vibrant yellow ink; whereas, the Lavender Purple phone has a purple pen and writes purple ink.

An intriguing new feature for the S Pen is the off-screen memo capability. Say you’re sitting in a meeting or on your commute home and you need to write something down in a quick moment as to not forget it… all you’d have to do is pop out the S Pen and the note-taking feature will automatically pop up for you, without having to unlock your phone or anything.

In addition, later this year, developers will have the opportunity to integrate the S Pen’s new BLE capability into their apps through Samsung’s SDK (software development kit). Meaning endless possibilities for the S Pen!

| Intelligent Camera |

Some game changing new features have been packed into the camera of the Note9 this time! Geared towards helping the novice photographer take Instagram worthy photos, the new intelligent camera on the Note9, takes the camera to an entirely other level with it’s scene optimizer, flew detection, and dual aperture lens.

The technology built into the camera’s optimizer detects a number of different elements within a photo and uses the information to classify the details into one of approximately 20 categories. From there, the software augments aspects like saturation, white balance, brightness and contrast pertaining to the pre-determined category, thus giving the image dynamic definition and a lifelike finish.

The flaw detection feature indicated to you if there is something wrong with your photo, in case you want to take another. It will notify you immediately if there is blurriness, a person in the photo blinked, if there’s smudging on the lens or the lighting is off. Additionally, this new and improved camera will come equipped with advance noise reduction, delivering a clear shot every time.

| Battery Life / Storage / Power |

If you’re looking for a phone with long lasting battery life – look no more! With a 4,000mAh battery, your new Galaxy Note9 should last you all day of use – talking, texting and entertainment all on one charge!

Available in two internal storage capacities: 128GB or 512GB, the Note9 comes with storage expandability up to 1TB via microSD, giving you confidence that with all the photos you’d be taking to get the perfect shot, you’d have someplace to store them all! Furthermore, loaded with a 10nm processor, the Note9 offers “support for some of the fastest network speeds available on the market”, Samsung states, to allow for seamless streaming and downloading without throttling or slowing down.

| Display |

For the last couple iterations, Samsung has provided it’s users with a screen experience unlike any other, and the Galaxy Note9 takes that to an entirely different level. It’s most dynamic design yet, the Note9 has the largest edge-to-edge display to date on this phone, coming in at 6.4-inches of Super AMOLED in the infinity display. The stunning display is accompanied by AKG tuned stereo speakers, that support Dolby Atmos.

Fun Fact: the Galaxy Note9 can be used more than a mobile device and offers connectivity and functionality to lend itself for a desktop-esque feel as well. Using the DeX soultion, unique to Samsung, you can connect the Note9 via HDMI adapter to an external monitor or pc and use it as a trackpad, a notepad for notes and second screen…… pretty snazzy!

*** If you pre-order between August 10th and 23rd, you can choose between a pair of AKG noice-cancelling headphones (retail value: $299) or the Fortnite Galaxy skin w/ 15,000 v-bucks (retail value: $150) for free!!! You’d also have the option to get both for $99.***

]]>http://calixtechnews.com/2018/08/samsung-galaxy-note9-unveiling/feed/02227The CAT S61 Smartphone Reviewhttp://calixtechnews.com/2018/07/the-cat-s61-smartphone-review/
http://calixtechnews.com/2018/07/the-cat-s61-smartphone-review/#respondThu, 19 Jul 2018 01:04:19 +0000http://calixtechnews.com/?p=2395So they have been making smartphones for construction workers now. You probably didn’t think that this was a real thing and that a handyman uses a regular smartphone like everyone else. However, when working on monumental architectural projects that require operating in a dangerous construction zone, your smartphone is bound to break if you’re not careful. That is the life of a construction worker after all. This is just one of the reason why CAT has happily unveiled one of their first ever line of smartphones; the CAT S61. While we did touch on this in an Instagram post a while back (@calixtech), we were able to get a small hands-on experience of the CAT S61 smartphone at CE WEEK 2018.

For those of you who don’t know, CAT (Caterpillar Inc.) is a highly popular construction company that has been distributing machinery and equipment for over 90 years. If you live in the New York City area, you’ll notice some of their bulldozers and other construction equipment roaming around the streets and construction zones SINCE EVERY DAY THERE’S ALWAYS SOMETHING BEING CONSTRUCTED AND THAT ALWAYS CAUSES TRAFFIC JAMS IN THE CITY AND IT IS A NIGHTMARE! … But I digress. CAT is the world’s leading manufacturer of construction equipment, mining equipment, natural gas engines and diesel-electric locomotives and now they are expanding just an inch farther into the realm of mobile technology which, in my opinion, is pretty cool.

When I first saw the design of the S61, along with the other models on display, it somehow reminded me of the Samsung Galaxy S2. This had me opinionated from the jump that this conceptual smartphone is a little old fashion but it’s amazing specs definitely make up for it. This is an actual upgrade from the S60 model and it comes with some awesomely handy features. It has a thermal imaging camera with software much more enhanced than its predecessor that it can read temperatures up to 400 degrees Celsius, can stream thermal video back to base and make the resolution of thermal images look twice as good. This smartphone is also programmed with an indoor air quality sensor that is capable of measuring temperature, humidity and high levels of indoor air pollutants in your environment. The CAT S61 is the world’s first smartphone integrated with a laser-assisted distance measurement. Of course, this phone is waterproof up to 3M for an hour and, with an ingress protection of IP68 and MIL-SPEC 810G, it is dustproof and drop-tested onto solid concrete from 6 feet. Basically, this smartphone is waterproof and indestructible.

Other cool features include an underwater 16MP rear camera -with PDAF auto-focus and an 8MP front-facing camera. The S61 also has a massive battery (4500mAh), 4GB of RAM and 64GB of RAM. All of that memory is expandable using a micro SD card. The S61 is also optimized for outdoor usage with automatic wet-finger and glove support. Backed by a highly bright 5.2-inch FHD display with corning gorilla glass 5 screen protection. Along with the aforementioned thermal imaging camera, the S61 has a plethora of other useful sensors: an e-compass, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope, a location sensor and a barometer. In terms of connectivity, the S61 has Bluetooth and WiFi with a Qualcomm SD630 Octa-core processor and Google Android Oreo as its operating system. All complete with a USB type C port and a 3.5 mm audio jack so you can still listen to music either on FM Radio or music player.

The wondrous people at CAT have literally combined a smartphone and a constructor’s toolbox into one powerful device and it is awesome. Whether it’s a big construction project or a small DIY fixer-upper, the CAT S61 smartphone is perfect for those who are handy with tools because it is made to help get any job done. It is currently retailed at $1000 and even though the device has a slightly outdated appearance (which seems like a nitpick at this point) it is definitely worth getting especially if you are an architect, a construction worker, or someone who’s just trying to fix that hole in the wall. Maybe this phone will help construction workers so much that they can finish their projects a little quicker so there will be less traffic in the city. That sounds irrational but if we can make a tough and powerful smartphone for the average handyman, it’s safe to say that anything is possible.

]]>http://calixtechnews.com/2018/07/the-cat-s61-smartphone-review/feed/02395The Jabra Elite Sports Earbuds Reviewhttp://calixtechnews.com/2018/01/the-jabra-elite-sports-earbuds-review/
http://calixtechnews.com/2018/01/the-jabra-elite-sports-earbuds-review/#respondSun, 07 Jan 2018 01:47:39 +0000http://calixtechnews.com/?p=1893These headphones are perfect for working out! The Jabra Elite Sports earbuds are one of the best workout accessories out on the market today and is the newest edition to the Jabra Family. Much like the new Iphone wireless headphones, these headphones are completely wireless and come in two separate earbuds. The first earbud houses the HRM and multi-function controls to answer or reject phone calls and to play or pause music. There is also a shortcut to the Jabra Sport Life app that can also be pressed during a workout for status updates. The second earbud houses controls for changing the volume and jumping tracks. A convenient little carrying case comes is also provided so it won’t be too easy to lose your earbuds.

In the realm of wireless earbuds, companies like Samsung and Motorola have produced devices like these making tough competition for Jabra but given that these are designed specifically for fitness the expectations of even using these earbuds on the daily is pretty low. The Jabra Elite Sport earbuds come with noise cancellation, an enhanced base creating superior sound, and with the push of a button it, conveniently filters in the sounds that surround you. These comfort-fit, wireless sport earbuds are programmed with bluetooth technology, automatic rep counting, built-in heart rate monitor, and smart in-ear coaching for personalized workouts. All of this is accustomed with the Jabra Sport Life app that you can download from both the iTunes store and Google play.

So let’s say you are working out and you are jogging and working out in the city. You can easily keep track of your reps and your heart rate, be motivated by the intelligence in-ear coaching and beware of your surroundings with the hear through technology. Priced at around $250 and guaranteed with a three year warranty these new beautifully designed earbuds are waterproof and very durable. Not to mention the powerful battery life, 4.5 hours of play time, coupled with a portable charging case you have a total 13.5 hours of power at your disposal. An abundance of awesome features all packed up into just two small earbuds. The only minor issues is that both of the earbuds have to be awake in order to hear sound in both ears. As expensive as they are, these earbuds are perfect for fitness and totally worth buying. I would definitely give these earbuds an A+.

]]>http://calixtechnews.com/2018/01/the-jabra-elite-sports-earbuds-review/feed/01893Interview With Phil Parrotta Of Swouphttp://calixtechnews.com/2017/07/interview-with-phil-parrotta-of-swoup/
http://calixtechnews.com/2017/07/interview-with-phil-parrotta-of-swoup/#respondTue, 25 Jul 2017 21:48:11 +0000http://calixtechnews.com/?p=1754When it comes to shopping, many of us either love it but are too busy to clip coupons, or hate it and avoid doing anything more than going to the store. We then end up spending more money than necessary on everyday items out of convenience and a vicious cycle begins. What if we told you, there is a solution for that and it comes in the form of an app, called Swoup. Recently, the I got the pleasure to sit down with Phil Parrotta of Swoup to talk about this amazing solution to saving money you were already going to spend anyway! Having met at Collision a couple months ago, We were beyond excited to speak with Phil and his team at Swoup!

Melissa: For those out there who aren’t familiar with your app or tech savvy, can tell us about Swoup?

Phil: Sure, I’d be happy to! Swoup, which kind of stands for swiping and swapping of coupons, is a lifestyle enablement company and the first “smart” (artificial intelligence based), personal savings assistant app – think of Swoup as the love child between Tinder, a coupon app and a personal assistant. We curate, recommend, manage, track and organize hyper-tailored discount offers for our users and we do so in a very aesthetically appealing, fun and easy to digest way. Swoup serves up one offer at a time and all you have to do is swipe left to discard, swipe up to “gift” or send an offer to a friend or swipe right to place an offer you want to keep in your Swoup Wallet. Once in the Swoup Wallet, Swoup links the offer to the user’s loyalty card for virtually friction-less checkout (in-store or online) and organizes the kept offers by retailer, by product category and by expiration. We do the work and our users get back time in their day to focus on things that matter most to them: family, friends, hobbies, whatever, while not having to throw away money out of the need for convenience or being time pressed. After all, I don’t think anyone ever got rich by throwing money away.

Melissa: What is the philosophy behind Swoup?

Phil: Swoup’s philosophy is Round down. Live upTM, which basically means that Swoup enables our users, who we like to call Swoupers, to spend less on the products they buy then we take the extra money that would have originally gone to the retailer and make it work harder for them by managing its distribution to either a savings account and/or donate it to a charity of the Swouper’s choice, with minimal effort on their part. Swoupers just go through a one-time set up process and we take it from there. All Swoupers really have to do is swipe & shop, to save and donate. Swoup can also be used as a basic coupon/discount app where savings can be kept for the Swouper to use however s/he chooses.

A lot of people like to label Swoup as a coupon app, but that’s just wrong. Swoup is so much more than that. As I said earlier, we are a lifestyle enablement company. We don’t believe that saving necessarily has to mean sacrifice or delayed gratification. We don’t care which type of lifestyle our users want to live, we just want to help them live the best version of the lifestyle they want, spend less on it, and live a “richer” life today and tomorrow, while also doing some good in the world.

Melissa: What would be the advantage in rounding down, verses rounding up like other companies offer?

Great question! First let me say, that regardless of which way a person chooses to save money, round down or otherwise, I’m all for it. It is important to be actively saving or investing money however you choose. That said, I obviously think there are so many advantages to rounding down since I founded Swoup and Swoup is 100% Round down. The main advantage in my opinion is that by using a Round downTM approach you are able to live the lifestyle you want, buy the things and brands you want, put money away and pursue your interests, all within reason of course, with very little, if any, negative impact on your current lifestyle. It’s this last part that makes the big difference. Think about it, if you aren’t using a Round downTM approach, you are likely paying full price for the things you buy – living a “full price” lifestyle. With Swoup, we help Swoupers live a Round downTM lifestyle – basically pay less for the things they already buy, not more, and then “pay themselves” the savings difference. That’s the genius part. The money Swoup helps Swoupers save is money they weren’t expecting to have in their pocket anyway because they were prepared to pay full price – it’s money they would have given to the retailer.

Image: Swoup

Melissa: On which platforms is Swoup available?

Phil: We are currently available on the App Store, with an Android version to come.

Melissa : How did you come up with the idea? Were you a big coupon user?

Phil: Funny story. Prior to creating and founding Swoup, I could probably count on one hand the number of times I had used coupons… not because I had a lot of money but rather, I’m just busy like the vast majority of us and valued time-saving convenience over saving money – so I end up paying full price for things. I think the existing couponing process is a rather antiquated, annoying system, so I just avoided coupons altogether.

For most of my career I worked in financial services marketing and my most recent role was at a financial company that specializes in investment products, such as mutual funds, etc. With my expertise in this area, I was all too aware of the challenges that most Americans will face in not outliving their savings, let alone actually being able to retire, afford their elder years, go to college or even live comfortably.

Rewind to Feb. 2015, my role at the company I just mentioned was eliminated and I found myself out of a job. I am a type-A, overachiever who doesn’t sit idle very well. I suddenly found myself with a lot of time on my hands so to break up my day, in between looking for a job and interviewing, I would make multiple daily trips to my local pharmacy retailer. If I happened to need three items on any particular day, I would make three separate trips, just to avoid boredom. Belonging to this particular retailer’s loyalty program, I would receive these incredibly long receipts at checkout but didn’t really pay much attention to what was on them. Then one day, I think I must have just been in a bad mood or something and I had gone to the store like four times and on the last visit, I looked at all these long receipts that were sitting on my counter and was like: “What the heck could possibly be on these? I mean what could they possibly have to say to me that would require this much paper?” Sure enough, when I looked, there were coupons on the receipts. On one particular receipt, there were five for-future-purchase coupons. Two were for products that I would never need (tampons and diapers) and three were for products I would (razors, shampoo and soap).

My first thought was: “Wow, who knew!” but then I wondered why I got tampons and diapers. I don’t need them and thought I should be able to give them to or exchange them with someone who might need them. And for the three coupons I would use, there was one coupon that caught my eye – a $5.00 off coupon for razors and I thought, “Holy… how much do razors cost if they can give me $5.00 off?” This led me to research the category, how much savings is offered to consumers over the course of a year, how much of this offered savings is being used versus thrown away, among other things.

Here’s a tidbit for you… did you know that the average shopping-age American receives over $2200 per year in coupon savings on everyday household items like toilet paper, trash bags, paper towels, cleaners, etc. but they only redeem about $15.00 a year on average. This basically means most of us are throwing away $2200 on stuff we HAVE to buy. Why do we do it? Because the process is annoying and the majority of coupons are still paper so we forget them and they expire, and they clutter our counters, our bags, and our wallets, etc. Maybe $2200 doesn’t seem like a life-changing amount of money, but it certainly makes a difference. There are so many other ways people can use that $2200, like save it or donate or invest it or go on vacation or buy a new air conditioner or put in a really awesome jungle gym for their kids… the possibilities are endless. The best part of it all is, this can be done without having to change a single thing in their life. And that fascinated me.

As a result, I started to research the coupon provider and retailer options out there and none were appealing. To me, they were cluttered, visually overloaded – almost like I was looking at the inside of a casino – you know the feeling? None of them made the coupon process fun or particularly user friendly and I knew, if these were my coupon/discount options to save money, it just wasn’t going to happen. No amount of money was going to motivate me to pre-shop for coupons and use these coupon solutions to help me. Skip ahead a few more months and two more things happened while researching: 1) I discovered my point accruing credit card had six figures worth of redeemable points that I could use to buy more stuff – which I had no desire to do, and 2) If I had cancelled that card, I would have lost out on the equivalent of more than $1000! This led me back to Swoup and I thought “What will our users do with the money we help them save?” The answer: probably just go buy more stuff – which is their prerogative; however, I thought it would be great if Swoup could also be this personal savings assistant always by their side, helping users save money and then do more with it. Why waste found money, when it would be better to put it to good use.

Lastly, but certainly not least, that contributed to the creation of Swoup, is a charity called God’s Love We Deliver. The love, pun intended, at God’s Love is literally palpable when you volunteer there and meet the people… it’s truly incredible. God’s Love We Deliver provides freshly cooked and nutritionally tailored meals to people, with a variety of illnesses, who are too ill to cook for themselves, free of charge. Their motto is “Food is love. Food is medicine.” Around this time, I was becoming increasingly more involved and fell in love with this charity. I have since joined their Leadership Council, and am constantly looking for more ways I can help. I also am always looking for ways to get others to see the great work they do and make it their charity of choice, just as I did.

All of that together, led me to create Swoup. I knew out of the gate that people don’t want, or need, just another app. They want a new, on-demand kind of app that is ready to serve and capable of complex actions. Swoup is just that. With our patent-pending algorithm/artificial intelligence, Swoup’s “smart” technology will deliver a hyper-focused savings and shopping experience the more it’s used and learns users’ preferences; performing in one app what currently takes 16 different ones to accomplish. I also wanted Swoup to be fun to use, in a way make saving money a healthy addiction and give people the confidence to know that they have Swoup, their very own personal savings assistant and lifestyle enabler, by their side at all times, to ensure they save some money while living the lifestyle they want and do more with the money we help them save.

And quite frankly, at the end of the day, I really just want to help people live a better life, realize their dreams and pursue their interests.

Phil Parrotta as a guest of the CTN Podcast Photo: Tony Woolford

Melissa: This is a very innovative way of using A.I. What made you decide you wanted the app to “learn”?

Phil: Like I said, I knew from the outset that consumers don’t want just another app. They want something that is proactive and capable of handling complex things… something that is going to help them – work hard for them, make their very busy lives a little easier, give them some time back in their day, and if I can be this bold, give them a little confidence knowing that something (in this case, Swoup) has their back and is working behind the scenes doing what it is supposed to be doing while they go about their day.

Also, I knew that artificial intelligence (AI) was where the future was headed so couple the two together and I knew that if Swoup was going to add value and actually improve the lives of Swoupers, then it had to be smart. Armed with that, I set out to find someone with AI/machine learning expertise, as this was not an area of knowledge for me. Through networking and some of Swoup’s advisers, I found just the right person and away we went. We set out on a journey to develop Swoup’s patent pending algorithm that is the brain behind our AI, so to speak. And now I have two AI specialists on my team… It is that important to me.

A lot of people ask me how Swoup uses AI and if what we are calling AI is really AI. I’ve learned that a lot of times when people say AI, when you really look under the hood of what they are doing or talking about, you find that they are really just doing predictive modeling, which is not AI.

Regarding Swoup, many people can’t get their head around how finding people discounts or being a lifestyle enablement company could possibly benefit from AI. Well, without giving away the secret sauce and getting into too much detail, I can tell you that it will be hugely beneficial to Swoupers… just think what it would be like if you had a personal savings assistant on your phone that actually learned your preferences, not simply predicted them and then needed you to actually make the decision, but was capable of making decisions for you… really taking the work out of helping you maximize your savings and instead of having to go looking for discounts, the right ones for the products you want were just there waiting for you. So all you would have to do is go buy whatever you want and the discount would automatically be applied. All you basically do is live. Can you get what I’m saying here?

The possibilities are limitless and Swoup is 1000% committed to being at the forefront to ensure we add as much value as possible to our users and enable them to live the best version of their lives, whatever that means to them.

Melissa: Now would you say this is a Savings app or an investing app?

Phil: Right now, I would say that Swoup is a lifestyle enablement and savings app.

Melissa : I can relate to the difficulty of saving. Does this app target millennials or were you thinking of another target market?

Phil: Swoup is really for anyone from any generation. But yes, we do definitely have a sweet spot for Millennials.

The Millennial generation faces a whole new set of challenges not really experienced by prior generations. Millennials, in general, are delaying childbirth to close to age 40 – this puts the Millennial parent at 60 when their child is a junior in college. I like to refer to this as “60 is the new 40”. Most financial planning and portfolio construction models in the USA still suggest that at 60 years old, an individual should be starting to move into more conservative investment vehicles that have less risk and therefore less return. If you are 60 and have a 20-year-old in college and you are faced with a potentially large college tuition bill, you can’t be investing like a 60-year-old and drawing down, as the predominant thinking would suggest… you still need to be investing like a 40-year-old. That is unless you’ve put away every dollar and invested wisely during your entire adult life.

Millennials are generally also conservative investors by nature having witnessed their parents go through the housing crisis. At first glance, this sounds like a good thing but it generally means that they may not have enough exposure to more aggressive growth and other equity type investments. If you couple that with the fact that they are predicted to live, on average, longer than any other generation before them, could mean that they have a higher likelihood of hitting more negative market events over their lifespan than generations before them. If they get hit with one of these too early in their adult life, given their conservative investment nature, the negative market event has the potential to wipe out their savings. So then, living through that experience, they may become even more conservative and then another negative market event comes along and wipes them out again… you can see the problem here. So they face the real possibility of outliving their money.

The good news, Millennials are savers. In fact, the average Millennial puts away about 5% of their salary today. If you take this existing 5% and couple it with the theoretical $2200 savings per year that Swoup might be able to help them realize, their savings rate would more than double to 11%. That’s huge! They also happen to be sharers… think car shares, bike shares, apartment shares, etc. Swoup is built for sharing. If a Swouper gets an offer they think one of their friends or family might enjoy, they simply swipe up to gift it to them. Why not help those around us save a little as well.

Let’s take a second to talk about Gen Z. There’s buzz starting around Gen Z’s as you can imagine. The people who study generations and come up with their characteristics are still hard at work learning about Z’s. What we do know is that they will be another very sizable generation, potentially rivaling Millennials in size. Gen Z’s don’t feel entitled, a characteristic often associated with Millennials, to anything, however. In fact, they don’t even think the American Dream exists any more. They aren’t just worried about their ability to pay for college; most of them think that they won’t even be able to afford to go to college. That’s really terrible. So just taking those couple of data points into consideration, you can see why Swoup has an interest in this generation. While I’ve kept some of our future enhancements under wraps during this discussion, Swoup has every intention of ensuring that we are properly prepared to help the Z’s realize, and possibly exceed their dreams, do good in the world and have a little fun at the same time.

Melissa: Do you have any plans to allow people to send the money into investments they may be interested in?

Phil: Let’s just say that I have a few additional “destination” options in the works where Swoupers will be able to have the money we saved them distributed.

Melissa:How would you say Swoup has evolved as a startup from its conception to now?

Phil: Hmmm… that’s a really great question. Well I will say that we have a superb team and they have made every leg of this journey not only bearable but also fun. They are beyond talented in my opinion. There have been so many learnings along the way and we have pivoted as necessary. I’m happy to report that our foundational vision and strategy have largely stayed intact, and we’ve had the pleasure of validating them through research and testing.

That said, I think we realized we couldn’t do everything we wanted to do at the outset. We’ve had to learn to focus and prioritize, take a pause and reflect… and there is great value that comes from this. We’ve become incredibly customer-centric and I know that seems like a no-brainer and something everyone says but honestly, I love how engaged our customers are. I personally often answer their calls and emails and their feedback has been amazing.

Speaking of, the most significant ways Swoup has changed from its conception until now has been due to the feedback of users and test groups. They were instrumental in either validating our hypotheses or totally disproving them leading us to sort of revert back to the drawing board, regroup and improve. Their feedback has killed features we originally thought were going to be awesome and created features we never would have thought of.

Melissa: How hard was it to walk away from your finance background and found a start up?

Phil: I wish I could say it was hard, but as I mentioned, my role was eliminated so the universe sort of gave me my walking papers. Not to sound flaky, but I’m a big believer in the universe, its power and its influence on life, people, and experiences. Had my role not been eliminated, I probably would have gone on not paying much attention to those long receipts that I got at checkout and would have never had the idea to start Swoup.

That said, I had been in finance for a long time and had been in corporate America even longer. So I really wasn’t used to the uncertainties and roller coaster ride that often comes along with founding a startup. Founding Swoup certainly gave me a huge serving of “humble pie” but it’s also given me some of the most profound experiences of my life, professional and personal. I have learned so much and pushed my own boundaries so far. I’ve juggled more balls in the air at once then I ever thought possible, and I’ve never learned to juggle (laughs to self), and I have experienced the highest highs and the lowest lows and all of that within a five-minute period. But I am not the first, nor will I be the last to go through this. I am not special in this regard. I am just driven, hungry, and passionate about improving people’s lives and I love every minute of the entire thing. I am learning and doing things that I would never have had the chance to learn or do if had never embarked on this journey.

I am beyond thankful to the powers that be for giving me this opportunity not to mention the people who have believed in me along the way.

So was it hard for me to walk away from a career in finance to found a start up… yeah, maybe at first it was a little like wearing unlined wool pants in the summer. But now, I couldn’t imagine it any other way.

Melissa: In an environment where there are no shortage of apps, what do you feel sets Swoup apart?

Phil: Another great question! There are so many things but I will boil it down to the following:

First, We are the first round down savings assistant. That is, in my opinion, our biggest differentiator. We enable people to buy the things they want and still put money away or contribute to charity without any real impact on their day-to-day lifestyle. That’s hugely liberating. And while I didn’t go into detail earlier, with some of the new “features” we have coming out, Swoup is poised to radically change the way people “finance” their present lifestyle while at the same time ensure the likelihood of actually achieving what they want their future lifestyle to look like, and again with minimal impact on their current lifestyle. I’m so excited that honestly some days I can barely contain myself!

Swoup was designed with people like me in mind, people I’ll call “non-couponers”… people who don’t really enjoy the current coupon or discount experience. Swoup’s design is aesthetically appealing, calming in a way in that it is so clean in design and the fact that users only see one offer at a time so they are not overwhelmed with visual clutter. In our research, we heard time and time again how people felt that Swoup’s interface reduced the anxiety they often feel when shopping because there is usually just so much choice thrown at them, that they can feel overwhelmed. We also hear from users all the time that the Swoup experience is fun and somewhat addictive due to the fact that Swoupers only get to see one offer at a time and have to interact with it in order to see the next one. They see it is kind of a game. When they swipe left a few times (basically discarding offers they don’t want) and then suddenly get served an offer they want, they have told us that they sort of get a little rush of excitement and they find that fun.

Our interaction is so simple and friendly. All our users have to do is swipe and shop and they could be done there. If they want to see more of Swoup’s ability to organize for them, then they can go into their Wallet and everything is neatly laid out and organized logically for them. For Swoup, it is all about removing work for Swoupers, and making their experience as pleasurable and fun/engaging as possible. Also our use of artificial intelligence and the fact that Swoup is capable of single-handedly performing what currently would take more than 16 apps, occupying space in five different functional categories, to do. Swoup was designed to be multi-faceted from the outset.

Melissa: What are your future plans for Swoup as a brand and where do you hope to see your company in five years?

Phil: I have no shortage of future plans for Swoup… some of them are incredibly aggressive and some attainable in the near future. I can’t really go into the more interesting plans but I can assure you that we are innovation at our core and we have every intention of exceeding customer expectations, delivering solutions that anticipate their needs today and in the future, and reinventing the way people finance their lifestyle. I love Swoup and I love our mission of helping people Round down. Live upTM .We just want to help people at the end of the day and when you start from such altruistic place, only amazing things can happen.

]]>http://calixtechnews.com/2017/07/interview-with-phil-parrotta-of-swoup/feed/01754Fords Releases Auto Delivery Concepthttp://calixtechnews.com/2017/03/fords-releases-auto-delivery-concept/
http://calixtechnews.com/2017/03/fords-releases-auto-delivery-concept/#respondWed, 08 Mar 2017 06:06:38 +0000http://calixtechnews.com/?p=1575First it was Amazon, then followed UPS, and now Ford in getting into the game. The promises of auto delivery by drone seemed like a exciting concept and a great use of the technology if they found a way to make it viable. The vehicle itself, announced at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, would be electric and autonomous. On-board drones would be utilized to deliver supplies and packages to near by homes. “While the scene shown today is not yet possible, ‘Autolivery’ suggests how our ongoing mobility research could enrich our lives in a more sustainable ‘City of Tomorrow’,” said Ken Washington, vice president, Research and Advanced Engineering, Ford Motor Company. “We are challenging ourselves to understand how people live, work and move in urban areas, to inform our research in mobility technologies and solutions.” Not sure how the drone system would work in every market but im excited to see how they figure it out. They Are hoping to have a fully self driving vehicle on the road by the year 2021.

Check Out The Video Below

]]>http://calixtechnews.com/2017/03/fords-releases-auto-delivery-concept/feed/01575Judgement Day: Boston Dynamics reveals its ‘Handle’ robothttp://calixtechnews.com/2017/02/judgement-day-boston-dynamics-reveals-its-handle-robot/
http://calixtechnews.com/2017/02/judgement-day-boston-dynamics-reveals-its-handle-robot/#respondTue, 28 Feb 2017 06:19:56 +0000http://calixtechnews.com/?p=1583OK granted that title may be a bit dramatic but I am a big terminator fan. Google owned Boston Dynamics finally introduced us to its rolling robot “Handle.” Unlike its predecessors this robot moves around on wheels. Whats more amazing is what it can do on wheels. Stairs and other obstacles prove little trouble for the robot that can be seen in the released video leaping through the air and jumping onto tables. That terminator reference wasn’t so far off was it? All jokes aside once they get past safety issues (it has been described as a nightmare robot) there are dozens of practical applications for a robot like this. It was designed to pick things up and move them around, hence the name. Handle combines hydraulic and electric actuators, is 6.5 feet tall, can jump 4 feet and travels at speeds of up to 9 mph and can lift up to 100 lbs.

]]>http://calixtechnews.com/2017/02/judgement-day-boston-dynamics-reveals-its-handle-robot/feed/01583iOS 10 Beta Reviewhttp://calixtechnews.com/2016/09/ios-10-beta-review/
http://calixtechnews.com/2016/09/ios-10-beta-review/#respondTue, 27 Sep 2016 05:22:42 +0000http://calixtechnews.com/?p=1327If you’re like me, you have to stay up to date with the latest in Apple Tech! Whether having it in your own possession, taking a trip to your local Apple Store to marvel in the glory and wonder it is or watching as many YouTube videos you can find. This year during WWDC, I got the same goosebumps, emotional and excited I always get and couldn’t wait for the Beta release of the iOS! I did not download it on the release day but actually waited a couple weeks, which I think was a good decision. Since the install, I’ve fallen in love with all of the new features and can’t wait for the official release in the Fall where I know it will only get better! Until then, let’s talk a little about some things to expect!

Installation

First and foremost, installing a Beta software is not as simple as you may think. This year, Apple decided to open up the Beta to the public for free! Win Win for us!!!! However, if you’ve run beta on any of your iOS devices in previous versions, you may be familiar with the tethered downloading, where you’d have to connect your device to your computer and download the software like a normal hardwire backup. Well, this time around, Apple made it super simple for us to get iOS 10 quickly on our devices! Yes, you guessed it, it was an over the air download!! I was super excited when I found that out!! This was awesome news!! No more tethering to my computer, but there is a catch. If you are thinking about installing iOS 10 Beta, please take one thing into consideration. In order for the software to work with the least amount of interruptions, you must DFU restore your phone (which means you’re wiping the phone completely clean and reinstalling the firmware) and set the device up as new. This produces the best results. You’re not going to get anywhere near the amount of lag and glitches as you will if you install over your current version of iOS 9. Glitches – yes, they do still exist; however, the good news is that thus far Apple releases an update approximately every 2 weeks patching some of the glitches that are submitted. Beta today, compared to the day I downloaded it 4 weeks ago has a lot less glitches.

NOTE: There is a feedback app incorporated into thesoftware to submit any issues you find while you’re using the software. With each submission you will include the diagnostic logs as well.

Features

There are so many new and exciting features jam-packed into iOS10 that we’re only going to go through a few here, so let’s dive right in.

Messages: The comfort of the same familiar app but better! This app comes to us more robust with new functionality and better usage overall. With small adjustments to the current body, Messages adds a plethora of new features, to include “liking” a text, drawing, sending your heartbeat and my personal favorite, a gif keyboard. These features are all built into the app and require no additional extensions. Once you start using all of these new features, you’re going to be hooked!!

Notifications: Not much has changed on the notifications front. The notification drop-down bubbles have rounded edges and now pop open to view more, reply to messages, etc.

Lock Screen Notification Menu (Swipe Right): The same rounded bubbles carry over here as well, but more information is available on this screen. You can see the time and date, what was most recently played in your Apple Music List, Weather, Maps, Batteries (if you’re Apple Watch or other Bluetooth devices connected), and so much more. Depicted below you’ll see I have Waze and Carrot weather widgets activated.

Apple Music: Compared to the Apple Music as we know it on iOS 9, the new Apple Music isn’t too different, except it is. All of the features we’re already used to have been enhanced, and the app as a whole has been given a face lift. As you can see from the examples below, the body of Apple Music has become a bit more efficient. Navigation is a tad easier and availability to music you’ve already played is way more accessible, without any hidden menus.

As we’re winding down the countdown for the release of this amazingly awesome iOS, and quite frankly what could be the best iOS Apple has released to date, I can’t help but wonder how many “surprise” features will come in the official version and what they will be. One can only dream, until the big day….

]]>http://calixtechnews.com/2016/09/ios-10-beta-review/feed/01327Introducing Apples iPhone 7http://calixtechnews.com/2016/09/introducing-apples-iphone-7/
http://calixtechnews.com/2016/09/introducing-apples-iphone-7/#respondFri, 09 Sep 2016 04:59:06 +0000http://calixtechnews.com/?p=1303Today’s Apple Special Event raised the bar for the smartphone standard, once again. To date, over 1 billion iPhones have been sold world-wide, topping charts as the best selling product of it’s kind. Apple is leading in technology with integration of hardware, software and services; the new iPhone 7 is now the tech giant’s greatest materialization of that. Let’s take a look at the major features coming in the new iPhone 7…

Image: Apple

A powerful device is nothing without an amazing operating system to run on. The most robust operating system yet created by Apple, iOS 10. Some of the amazing new features include:

Lift to wake

Siri from LockScreen

Contextual Prediction

Re-designed Maps: Book rides and reservations without leaving the app

Home Kit: Integration of Home-Automation right from your finger tips

Messages: bubble effect, stickers, etc.

And so much more!!! Definitely the coolest iOS released yet!

Available for Download: September 13

iPhone 7 has been re-engineered with a beautiful high-gloss black finish. It’s cohesive aluminum and glass body makes for a seamless unified enclosure that takes a familiar style to an entirely new level! The newest color added to the game is Jet Black – this high gloss refined design with a stainless steel logo on the back. The antennas have been embedded into the body so they are less noticeable. Over all the new look of the phone is beautiful. The enclosure is also water and dust resistant, which is something we’ve all been waiting for! Although unspecified of the range of submersion if it were to occur, numerous photos and videos of being in the rain or accidentally falling in a pool were shown throughout this portion of the keynote.

Image: Apple

The Home Button has always been a quintessential part of the device, “bringing you home” whenever you need it, multitasking or paying for your favorite foods. Home Button is now more responsive, reliable and customizable with the addition of force sensitivity through the taptic engine. 3rd party apps can be programmed to customize the feels received on the home button. You can also direct what kind of taptic feelings you want with your notifications, messages and ringtones that come through. Something never done before on a iOS device.

Image: Apple

For all you mobile photography nerds out there, the iPhone 7 camera is definitely one to impress! Tons of amazing new features are being integrated:

Optical Image Stabilization – up to 3x longer exposure

Larger f/1.8 aperture – lets in 50% more light on the sensor

New six-element lens – produces a sharper image from edge to edge with the 1.8 aperture

Apple-Designed ISP — Performs 100 billion operations every time a photo is taken, and does so in 25 milliseconds. Everything from face detection, exposure, focus, white balance, wide color capture, noise reduction to so many more.

This iPhone 7 Camera is “a super computer for photos”.

The front camera was upgraded to a 7MP FaceTime HD Camera with wide color capture and auto image stabilization.

iPhone 7 Plus takes it up a notch with a dual 12MP camera – 1 Wide Angle & 1 Telephoto with a new on screen button that produces up to 10X Zoom.

These two new and improved cameras will be sure to set the stage for cameras in mobile devices because not only on the iPhone 7 Plus are there now two cameras, but there is also the ability for Shallow Depth of Field in portraits. This is a BIG deal! A feature that can be achieved on a DSLR camera is automatic on the iPhone 7 Plus and generates in real time on screen, as you’re taking the photo! So a photo like the one below can be taken from your phone……….. because this one was…..

Image: Apple

Speakers have been upgraded to a provide stereo sound with a speaker at each end of the phone now, top and bottom with increased dynamic range. Lightning technology was taken to a new level here with EarPods. EarPods are now lightning connected, eliminating the audio jack all together. These new headphones will be included in the box with the new iPhone as well as a Lighting to audio jack adapter for those who still want to use other headphones.

A new set of headphones was introduced to the family called AirPods. These headphones take wireless technology to a whole new level with the W1 Chip. No Pairing or un-pairing needed anymore! These babies sense your iPhone 7/7Plus, Apple Watch or iPhone and automatically connects to whichever you are using at the moment, and switches platforms with you. With 5 hours of usage time, the carrying case charges while on the go. The entire enclosure can be charged with a lightning cable and will be sold separately. Beats will also integrate the W1 chip into the Solo 3 Wireless, Power 3 Wireless and new Beats X headphones.

Image: Apple

Apple AirPods Image: Apple

Lastly, but probably the most important, performance. iPhone 7/ 7 Plus include the new A10 Fusion Chip.

A10 Fusion Chip Specs:

Two-high performance cores

40% faster processing than A9

2x faster processing than A8

Two-high efficiency cores

1/5 the power

Apple-designed Performance Controller

tells the programs on which cores to operate

Graphics (high performance)

50% faster than A9

3x faster than A8

Graphics (high efficiency)

2/3 the power of A9

1/2 the power of A8

Battery list is the longest on this phone than any of it’s predecessors…

Coming from the iPhone 6S – adds about 2 hours to current battery life.

Coming form the iPhone 6S Plus – adds about 1 hour to current battery life.

Those who took advantage of the iPhone Upgrade Program through Apple will have the option to upgrade for these devices!!

Available for Pre-Order: Sept 9

Available for Shipping: Sept 16

Pricing:

iPhone 7 Starts: $649

iPhone 7 Plus Starts: $769

AirPods: Shipping Late October $159

]]>http://calixtechnews.com/2016/09/introducing-apples-iphone-7/feed/01303SAMSUNG GALAXY S7 REVIEWhttp://calixtechnews.com/2016/03/samsung-galaxy-s7-review/
http://calixtechnews.com/2016/03/samsung-galaxy-s7-review/#respondTue, 01 Mar 2016 05:40:03 +0000http://calixtechnews.com/?p=893At first glance you may ask yourself the same question I did – whats changed? The Samsung Galaxy S7 looks exactly the same as the Galaxy S6, it has the same metal and glass body, the same screen size and pretty much the same look and feel to it. On top if that, fans of the removable battery should know that the battery still doesn’t come out (easily anyway). What Samsung took out of the Galaxy S6 it put back into the Galaxy S7 as well as bringing back the Edge version.

Image: BGR

They’ve brought back the micro SD card which means you won’t have to pay more for a model with a lot more memory, they’ve added water resistance (water resistant over 1.5 meter and 30 minutes) so you can take worry free trips to the beach. However the infra-red remote function isn’t back and as mentioned before you still can’t take the battery out. Now the thing is if you’re upgrading from a much earlier model – you’ll be blown away but if you have the Galaxy S6 then to be honest it might not just be worth the upgrade.

Other features include Samsung Pay (Samsung’s answer to apple pay), finger print sensor, simultaneous 4K video and 9MP image recording, touch focus, face/smile detection, video at 2160p@30fps, 1080p@60fps, 720p@240fps, dual-video rec. Another addition is the choices of color you get with the phone (Black, White, Gold, Silver). To sum it up, Samsung is known for sleek, classy and simply seductive designs and although the Galaxy S7 may not have a lot more features as compared to its predecessor it still is one of the best phones on the market, especially with the addition of the micro SD card slot again which isn’t available on the Apples iPhone. The Galaxy S7 is a worthy successor to the S6 and if you are still sporting an S5, I definitely recommend the upgrade.

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http://calixtechnews.com/2016/03/samsung-galaxy-s7-review/feed/0893MWC 2016: Quick Recaphttp://calixtechnews.com/2016/03/mwc-2016-quick-recap/
http://calixtechnews.com/2016/03/mwc-2016-quick-recap/#respondTue, 01 Mar 2016 05:38:21 +0000http://calixtechnews.com/?p=890MWC, also known as Mobile World Congress is the largest mobile electronics trade show all around the world. MWC 2016 started on February 22nd, although it actually kicked off over the weekend with a few major press events, however, things are somewhat wrapped up now. Here is a list of some of the important announcements coming out of MWC 2016.

Samsung at MWC 2016

Image: BGR

Samsung officially announced the Galaxy S7 Edge and Galaxy S7 worldwide at Mobile World Congress 2016. Though the upcoming members of the Galaxy S family have a lot in common with the series of Galaxy, but the return of micro SD and a slightly refined design, as well as dust and water resistance, make the new Galaxy S7 family different over their predecessors.

LG at MWC 2016

As predicted, the dramatic update to the LG G-series is finally here! The LG G5 is entirely different from other LG handsets, offering a metal uni-body design, but with a twist — now you can remove the bottom and this will allow you to add specialized modules to expand the functionality of G5 as well as swap the battery.

Xiaomi at MWC 2016

Image: Xiaomi

Xiaomi held a press conference at MWC to launch the Xiaomi Mi 5, which includes a special “premium” version with 4 GB of RAM, 128 GB of internal storage and a special hardened ceramic back.

Sony at MWC 2016

Samsung and LG might be the main center of attraction at MWC 2016, but Sony certainly had a few surprises of its own. Sony has announced a brand new series called the Xperia X family, with 3 models, named Xperia XA, Xperia X Performance and Xperia X.

HTC at MWC 2016

Image: BGR

HTC did not announce the HTC One M10 at MWC 2016, but it did bring the new Desire 825, 530 and 630 and the One X9.

Lenovo at MWC 2016

Image: Android Headlines

Lenovo revealed its new series of Tab3, which include TAB3 8 and TAB3 7 at MWC 2016. These tablets match entry-level specs and feature sub-$150 pricing.

OPPO

OPPO promised “breakthrough camera and battery” tech ahead of MWC.

ZTE at MWC 2016

SPro Plus was announced by ZTE at MWC 2016. It is the new member belongs to the series of SPro smart projector, offering some great features, such as a Snapdragon 801 processor up to 128GB storage and with 3GB RAM and an 8.4-inch QHD display.